Mental health in construction: The awareness of the impact of stress on construction professionals' mental health in Ireland and the UK

In recent years, various Health and Safety initiatives have led to significant improvement of physical safety on site, yet initiatives to safeguard the mental health of construction professionals still fall short, particularly in smaller construction companies. Due to the often-stressful nature of work on site, the mental health of construction professionals can be affected, impacting both home and work life. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the levels and sources of such stress on site, evaluate the impact and to investigate the uptake and success of interventions. Sixty-two semi-structured interviews anchored on 5 stressor categories- organisational, task, personal, physical and industry characteristics were conducted. The data shows that the negative impact of stress on mental health is exacerbated by factors such as stigma, lack of understanding of mental health and a lack of awareness of and engagement with mental health education and support initiatives on site.